About this workshop 

Herbaria lie at the heart of biodiversity research, permanently archiving a treasure trove of plant information that is essential for ecology, biogeography, conservation and restoration. Housed within a herbarium are thousands of preserved specimens, each one with its own unique scientific value, history and beauty.  

But do you know what a herbarium is, or how they’re organised and used? And do you know how herbarium specimens are made?  

This summer 2025, KFBG is opening the doors of its herbarium, offering a rare glimpse behind the scenes and a chance for you to see for yourself how botanists collect and store plant material as evidence of the Earth’s past, present and future vegetation. Curator of the KFBG Herbarium, Senior Ecologist Dr. Jinlong Zhang will describe the fundamentals of plant identification, plant record-keeping and the immense value of herbarium data for understanding and protecting Hong Kong’s fragile flora. Under Jinlong’s expert instruction, you will have the opportunity to make your very own herbarium specimen – to take home and hang on your wall or present to family and friends as an exclusive gift, learning how they combine both science and beauty as you do so.

In this workshop, you will learn: 

1. What a herbarium is 
2. Why herbarium specimens are so important for science and ecological restoration
3. How specimens are collected and preserved 
4. What makes a good specimen 
5. How to document a plant and its habitat 
6. The basics of plant identification 
7. Some of the features of Hong Kong’s most important plant families 
8. Ways to distinguish native and exotic plants 
9. How Hong Kong’s checklist of native plant species continues to grow 
10. The value of a plant’s scientific name (botanical Latin) 

Date and Time 
Each workshop comprises two sessions. 

1st workshop
Session 1: 12 July 2025 (9:30 AM – 1:00 PM) 
Session 2: 26 July 2025 (9:30 AM – 1:00 PM) 

2nd workshop 
Session 1: 16 August 2025 (9:30 AM – 1:00 PM) 
Session 2: 30 August 2025 (9:30 AM – 1:00 PM) 

Target audience 
Age 7 and above. Children between the ages 7–12 must be accompanied by an adult. 

Capacity
Up to 10 participants per workshop. 

Venue 
KFBG Herbarium (indoors) and the Lower Hillside area of KFBG (outdoors) 

Gathering time and Location 
9:15 AM at KFBG Reception  

Language 
Cantonese 

Application 
Pre-register online at the KFBG website.  
The application deadline is 1/7/2025 for the first workshop and 3/8/2025 for the second workshop.  

Fee 
$1100 each. Children between the ages 7–12 attend free-of-charge but must be accompanied by an adult who has applied to attend the workshop.
Price includes KFBG entrance fee for both sessions. The participant can take their framed herbarium specimen home at the end of the second session.

Remarks 

• Places will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis.
• This is a two-day workshop comprising two half-day sessions. Participants should attend on both dates.
• Please arrive at the main visitor reception no later than the specified gathering time.
• During the workshop, participants will be guided along one or more of KFBG’s narrow trails, some of which have uneven surfaces, steps and slopes. Applicants should assess their own physical/health condition before applying. Also, please wear appropriate shoes.
• All required materials will be provided – but feel free to bring a camera to document your experience!
• The event will be cancelled at short notice in the event of severe weather warnings (e.g., Typhoon Signal no. 8 or above, Red or Black Rainstorm Warning). Please check our website or confirm with our staff at reception about the programme schedule before your visit.
• Payment is non-refundable unless the event on that day is cancelled due to severe weather warnings.
• We encourage visitors to use public transportation to reduce carbon footprint. Click here for details.
• Parking spaces are extremely limited at our venue. Participants must reserve parking spaces online in advance.  

Enquiry 
Please contact Fiona Lo at 2483 7226 during office hours (Monday to Friday 9:00 am to 5:00 pm) or email fiona.lo@kfbg.org for any event-related enquiries.  

About the instructor  
Dr. Jinlong Zhang is an experienced botanist and ecologist currently working as Senior Ecologist and Herbarium Curator in the Flora Conservation Department at Kadoorie Farm and Botanic Garden in Hong Kong. With a PhD in Ecology from the Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, he specialises in vegetation ecology, community ecology and biogeography. His extensive fieldwork spans the northeast and southern regions of China, he has authored more than 50 peer-reviewed publications and serves as a reviewer for more than 20 academic journals. He and colleagues have reported more than 30 plant species newly recorded to Hong Kong in the last decade.